Elevator roller guide shoe



Nov. 23, 1937. c. NORTON ELEVATOR ROLLER GUIDE SHOE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1935 INVENTOR WWW?! ATTORNEY NOV. 23, 1937. Q NORTQN ELEVATOR ROLLER GUIDE SHOE Filed Sept. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR H N m W A Patented Nov. 23, 19 37 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELEVATOR ROLLER GUIDE SHOE poration of New Jersey Application September 10, 1935, Serial No. 39,906

2 Claims.

This invention relates to guides and especially to guides for the movable bodies of elevator installations.

In the elevator art the elevator car and counterweight are commonly provided with guides for cooperating with the guide rails, whereby the car and counterweight are guided in their movement in the hatchway. In many elevator installations, the guide rails are not perfectly straight and smooth, so that with solid guide shoes there is a tendency for the car to sway as it passes up and down'the hatchway, particularly in the case of high speed elevators. Furthermore, when metallic guide shoes are used, considerable noise is developed.

It is the object 'of this invention to provide a guide which is noiseless in operation and which, when used on the elevator car, provides smooth operation.

In carrying out the invention, rubber tired ball bearing rollers in yielding engagement with the guide rail are employed. Thisinvention is particularly applicable to; T-shapd guide rails in which the two sides and the face of the" stem of the'guide rail serve as guiding surfaces. For cooperation with such a guide'rail, each guide comprises three rollers, one for each of the-three guiding surfaces of the guide rail. Each roller is mounted at one end of a substantially vertical straight lever which is fulcrumed near its center on a guide stand. Near the other end of the lever there is provided a compression spring which rocks the lever about its pivot in a direction to maintain the roller in engagement with the rail, a stop being provided to prevent more than a limited amount ofmovement of the lever-about its pivot in the'opposite direction. Such construction results in a very compact guide.

' The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and appended claims. f i

The invention will be described as employed the guide rail extends.

guide from the rear, and also showing the guide rail; and v Figure 5 is a side view partly in section showing details of construction of one of the side rollers of the guide.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral I 0 designates an elevator car supported by a car sling I I to which hoisting roping I2 is secured for raisin and lowering the car in the hatchway. Guide rails M for the car are provided in the hatch- 10 way. The guide rails shown are T-shaped and have side surfaces 15 and a face surface l6 for cooperation with guides l1, mounted on the upper and lower cross members of the car sling, to guide the car in its movement in the hatchway. As 15 the guides I! are of identical construction, only a single guide and the operation thereof will be described in detail.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the guide according to the preferred construction comprises 20 a stand 18 having a base 20 which is secured to the car sling II as by bolts through holes 2| in the base. A block 25 extends vertically from the base and is provided with a groove 26 into which At the top of the block 25 are formed lugs 22, 23 and 24, lugs 22 and 23 extending oppositely from the block parallel to the base of the guide rail and lug 24 extending back from the block in line with the guide rail stem. Each of these lugs is connected by a rib 30 29 to the base. Each lug is provided with an aperture to receive a bolt 30 which forms a pivotal support for a straight lever 28. Each of these levers in turn carries a guide roller at one end for cooperating with the guide rail. The 5 construction of only one lever and guide roller will be described in detail as the construction of the others is substantially the same.

Referring to the lever supported by lug 23,-the lever extends substantially parallel with the guide 40 rail and is pivoted by bolt 30 substantially midway its ends. The bolt is journalled in the aperture in the lug and the lever is secured by a nut 3| against a shoulder formed on the bolt. Referring also to Figure 5, the guide roller 32, car- 5 ried by the lever, is in the form of a disc wheel having a hub 42 and a rim 39. The wheel is provided with a ball bearing 4|], which may be packed in grease. An aperture is provided in the hub to receive the bearing. The outer race of the bearing is secured in place as by peening the hub over the race at a plurality of points 43. Bolt 33 clamps the inner race of the bearing to the lever, thereby rotatably securing the roller to the end {ii the lever. On the outside of rim 39 is another rim 44. v To distinguish these rims, rim 39 may 7 be: termed the inner rim Whilethe other rim 44 may be termed the outer rim. The outer rim is a peened over the inner rim at a plurality of points designated 45, thereby securing the outer rim to .the wheel. The outer rim is preferably brass plated steel and has a rubber tire 4| vulcanized thereon; .This tire has a curved tread for rolling 1 upon the" side of theguide rail.

M be replaced in a similar manner; 7 a I j Each'levergisprovided 'atits other end with a The tiresior the rollers 32' and 46 which cooperate with the sides of the guide rail are of the 7 same shapebut'the tire for the roller 48 which edoperates with the face of the guide-railris preferably of V-shaped construction'with a flat tread 5| of a width less than the width of the f'aee" of the guide rail. composition and hardness such that it has the property of resuming its normal shape after having been under compression for either, short or long periods of time. Should, replacement of the tirezbe desirable; the outer rim may beforced from the inner rim and replaced by a new outer rirrran'dtire; secured in place: by peenirig: over as previously described; The ballbearing also may springiifl' whicl'racts; to rock the lever about its pivot to urgatheroller carried thereby into icontact 'with the'guide rail. ,The spring for the lever carried bylug 23* extends between-"a spring seat formed on the block 25 and a spring seat formed by a; screw and" nut- 53 carried by the lever.

Screw 35' is adjustably mounted on a bracket 34 securedas by welding to the end of the lever and is locked inadjust'ed position as bya nut54'. -Nut '53: is held on: the screw bya pin. The bracket is formed with an arm in whichanother screw 36 is adjustably mounted. This screw cooperates with the ended a boss 38 formed on rib 279 to limit The rollers 32 and 46 are maintained incontinuous-engagement with theside surfaces 15 of the rail -and 'the roller 48' ismaintained in cone tinuous: engagement with the face surface I6 of the rail by their respective biasing springs. Upontravel of the car in the hatchway, the rollers roll along their respective guiding surfaces to guide the-car in its movement. In the event'that irregularitiesjoccur; in' the proper alignment of the rail, therellersmove relatively to stand l8-tocom pensate-for. such irregularities Assume, ferjex ample that the guide rai l-isdisplaced sideways in I a directionitoward roller32; When the rollers pass over the point: at which the rail is displaced, the arm 28;, carrying theroller 3Z'engaging the side. surface 15 which is displaced toward the roller, moves counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 3; compressing the associatedspring while the- "springassociated witlr the arm carryingroller 46 engaging the: opposite side surface l5 acts to move the arm about its pivot whereby roller 46 is maintainedin'engagement with the rail. When the 5 guide rail is displaced in;.-a direction away from rollertzfthe; rollers move to compensatefor'such a displacement with roller 32 being moved by the force of-its'; spring androller 46 being moved The rubber of the tires iso'f a against the force of its spring. Inthe event that the guide rail is displaced in 'a' directionreith'erp' V toward or away from ro1ler'4B, jthero'ller is moved relative to the stand to compensate for such a displacement by. or against the force of its spring in a manner as previously deseribed for V rollers 32 and 46.j Thus, the side rollers 32'a'nd Miand the faceroller 48, being maintainedin continuous yielding engagement with the guiding surfaces of the rail, provide quiet andsmooth opera tion. 7

" It is to be noted that upon iateraimbvmentor roller 48-the tread 5| thereof, being'of a'width less than the width of face surface It, does. not overlap thezrailil thereby preventing the tread from bein'g grooved or cut by the sharp edge of the rail."

of the rollers than that provided by the roller irregularity iii-th guide rail may occur. V which mayrequire more compensating movement arms, In such an event apressure is exertedfon V the rollers whereby the rollerarmsj are rocked to the limit of their compensating movement,.further pressureon therollers resultingv in the compression of v the-rubbertires ofthe'rollers. I a

Inthe event that any of therollersor parts thereofbecome broken in the operation of the,

car, the sides of the guide groove 26 cooperate with the guide rail tomaintainthe carin its '7 preperqposition untilrepairs can beefiected. 'It" 7 will be understood that the dimensions ofgroove 26 are such that; in;the;normal operation; of the guide the: sides and; face ofthegroovedov not contact;- the corresponding?surfacesofthe guide ranv I j 1 r V j f, The employment of roller, guides, enders the application of. lubricants such 355011: tothe guide rails unnecessary. This is of advantage; as the expense of lubrication and the possibility ofgoiljoi: grease coating'the hatchway and elevator car are avoided. 'fi H What isclaimed is:--

1. m an elevator installation in whicn'a guide rail having a flat guidesurface onits face and r on; each of its two sides is provided for a body movablein the elevator hatchway andiin which a plurality of guide rollers, oneroller for each of V said guiding" surfaces, is carried: by saidbody;

each roller'being yieldably maintained incontinuous rolling engagement with the guide rail to guide saidbody in its movement in thehatch and a rubber tire vulcanized to saidrim; the tires of the rollers: for the side guiding surfaces. of said rail each having a; curved tread and the tire of way; theconstructiori of said rollers whereineach of them comprises a wheel having a;metalrim theroller for:theface guidingi'surface of said rail havingja fiat tread'of a .width less than: the width of'said face' guiding surface,'and the'r'ubberof eachitire being of acomposition and hard; ness such that the tire resumes its normal shape after being subjected :tojpressure" at the same point over anextendedperiod of time; V, V i 2. In an elevator installation in which'aguide rail having awfiat guide surface'orr. its face and on each of its twojsides is provided for a; body movable in the elevator hatchway and in which a plurality of guide-rollers, one roller for each of said guiding surfaces; is carried by said body; 7 each roller being yieldably maintained n: can- 70: tinuous rolling engagement with the-guide rail to guide said body in its movement'in the hatchl way; the construction of'said rollers wherein each of them comprises a wheel having a brass plated steel rim removably securedto said wheel and a V 2,100,169 rubber tire vulcanized to said rim, the tires of the rollers for the side guiding surfaces of said rail each having a curved tread and the tire of the roller for the face guiding surface of said rail being V-shaped and having a fiat tread of a width less than the width of said face guiding surface to permit a certain lateral movement of such tread without the tread overlapping said face guiding surface, and the rubber of each tire being of a composition and hardness such that the tire resumes its normal shape after being sub jected to pressure at the same point over an extended period of time.

CLIFFORD NORTON. 

